Can shoe change cause calf injury?

[oldcity]

I recently changed from barricades of three years to Asics. The shoes feel great but a little different obviously. This would be nonsense to me but I developed the same injury in both legs within a week. I started feeling sharp pain in the right calf three weeks after the shoe change. not the bulky muscle on the outside but something deep inside, a mid to high calf. I took it easy for a week and came back the following week for some light doubles with an older couple, with my right calf tightly wrapped. I started developing the same pain in the left calf. later in the day I was hitting with my partner and strained/injured whatever was going on in the right calf pretty bad while changing directions. had to limp off court and wrap it in ice. hurt like hell for a couple of days.
rested two weeks. came back hitting with partner with both legs wrapped, taking it easy, one or two steps, no running or driving off of either foot. later I got a little over eager and changed directions hard, forgetting I had an injury, tearing up that right calf injury immediately. had to limp off of the court and wrap it in ice. The left has bothered me since with some light pain but no serious injury.
I thought it was suspicious that the same thing is going on in both legs at the same time. Ive rehabbed many muscle injuries, including calf muscle strains, knee injuries, but never this particular injury. Not sure what it is or how much rest I need but its been two weeks since the re-injury and I'm itching to hit again but dreading having to start over with another tear.

 

[oldcity]

I also do light workouts in gym regularly but no legs since injury. I ride on and off-road bikes weekly. since the re-injury I've only done a couple of road rides, 5-10 miles, one bridge. took it easy on the bridge but I could feel the both calves. both have been sore the last week.

 

[WildVolley]

It is possible that a shoe change could contribute to an injury. An obvious issue would be a change in drop. Drop is the difference between the height of the sole stack between the heel and the forefoot. If you are used to a shoe with a large drop and then switch to a shoe with less of a drop, it can contribute to more stress on the Achilles tendons and calves.

In short, a shoe change can contribute to injury. I'm not certain it is the cause in your case but you should try to examine the difference in the shoes in terms of fit and stance.

I tend to play in different shoes and go barefoot as much as possible off the courts to maintain flexibility and strength in my feet.

 

[Crocodile]

They are both good quality shoes. I would get a Physio to have a look at you. If you are on the court for long hours, your calves would get really tight so over time you may injure yourself,
One way of finding out with the shoes is to go back to your barricades and see how you go.
If you get a set of orthodics for your feet you can wear most shoes, in the end comfort is a key consideration and shock absorption especially if you play on hardcourts all the time. The type of sole and it's compatability to the surface is another consideration. Hard court shoes need turning circles so you don't grip to hard on the surface and you can chsnge direction with less friction.

 

[Crocodile]

Just to add another point, where shoes become a problem is when you wear them too long as they do lose their structural rigidity then can cause foot and knee problems. Runners know this quite well. When their knees start to twinge they change their shoes.
The other area to look into is the width of the shoe and the impact it has on your toes and other bony parts of your feat. If you get uncomfortable it will affect the way you walk and that will cause you injuries.

 

[aag]

I had the same question -- after playing for years with no injuries, ended up with a partial tear in the calf muscle; one obvious change was a recent change of shoes, from Prince T22 and older Barricades to Wilson Rush Pro 2.5. This was literally my second week playing with the new shoes.

 

[esgee48]

I try to break in new tennis shoes before wearing them to play. The soles are not so sticky. The uppers stretch out and your feet get use to the shape of the shoe. Walking in them for 2-3 hours help a lot. 3¢

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I have developed shin splints more readily with different shoes but not noticed any calf issues. I did have a partial tear in one of my Achilles tendons. But don't think that was necessarily a shoe issue.

 

[SF_45er]

I’ve definitely had this experience. No issues with Hypercourt Supremes then immediate shin and calf pain with Babolat Propulse Fury. After 10 hours of “break in” (!) it got a little better. But I’ve never had tight calves playing tennis 3-4 times a week And these shoes still give me tight calves and Achilles (despite 20+ hours at this point). Tried double socks. Replacing insoles with those from my old shoes seemed to help a bit. But I can’t wait to get a new pair.

 

[socallefty]

I got knee pain with Adidas Barricade 2018s after wearing Barricade 7 for years with no issues. The pain never resolved after cortisone shots, surgery etc. and kept coming back. When I finally changed to ASICS GR8s, I was fine. I went back to the Barricades and got the knee pain again after a couple of days. I also get calf pain and foot pain more easily with softer shoes right from the start or if my more durable/heavy shoes get old. So, if your body is talking to you, time to change out the shoes. Some shoe designs don’t agree with some people‘s feet.

 

[onehandbh]

My friend's farm changed the brand of horseshoes they use and his calf got injured.

 

[SF_45er]

I got knee pain with Adidas Barricade 2018s after wearing Barricade 7 for years with no issues. The pain never resolved after cortisone shots, surgery etc. and kept coming back. When I finally changed to ASICS GR8s, I was fine. I went back to the Barricades and got the knee pain again after a couple of days. I also get calf pain and foot pain more easily with softer shoes right from the start or if my more durable/heavy shoes get old. So, if your body is talking to you, time to change out the shoes. Some shoe designs don’t agree with some people‘s feet.

Interesting thought on the soft vs durable/heavy shoes. So you’re classifying GR8 as durable/heavy and barricades as softer? I ask because GR9 is what I’m thinking of getting and while it’s heavyish, it feels plush. Babolat is durable I suppose (given durability guarantee) but feels hard. Kswiss Supremes felt soft.

 

[socallefty]

Interesting thought on the soft vs durable/heavy shoes. So you’re classifying GR8 as durable/heavy and barricades as softer? I ask because GR9 is what I’m thinking of getting and while it’s heavyish, it feels plush. Babolat is durable I suppose (given durability guarantee) but feels hard. Kswiss Supremes felt soft.

No Barricades are heavy/durable also like the GR8s - all sole warranty shoes are heavier. My knees didn’t get along with those particular Barricade 2018s and I don’t know why as I wore older Barricades for almost a decade. Separate from that, I don’t like soft shoes as they give me pain in other areas like calf, Achilles, plantar area etc. - can be new soft lightweight shoes after 10-20 hours or heavy shoes after 60-70 hours on hard courts.

 

[Fintft]

No Barricades are heavy/durable also like the GR8s - all sole warranty shoes are heavier. My knees didn’t get along with those particular Barricade 2018s and I don’t know why as I wore older Barricades for almost a decade. Separate from that, I don’t like soft shoes as they give me pain in other areas like calf, Achilles, plantar area etc. - can be new soft lightweight shoes after 10-20 hours or heavy shoes after 60-70 hours on hard courts.

I think something similar happened to me as I got plantar Fasciitis in the softer Barricades...

 

[socallefty]

I think something similar happened to me as I got plantar Fasciitis in the softer Barricades...

What happens for me is that as shoes get older/softer, I tie shoelaces tighter to get more support and that’s when I start getting pain/tightness in plantar, Achilles, calf areas as it probably stresses the foot unevenly. I’ve now realized that when shoes get that soft, you just have to replace them and you can’t fix the issue with tighter lacing.

 

[Fintft]

What happens for me is that as shoes get older/softer, I tie shoelaces tighter to get more support and that’s when I start getting pain/tightness in plantar, Achilles, calf areas as it probably stresses the foot unevenly. I’ve now realized that when shoes get that soft, you just have to replace them and you can’t fix the issue with tighter lacing.

Maybe, but I meant that the Barricades V were clunky, while some of the more recent versions not as much and yet caused me PF, on clay, new.
It's true though that I already had a twisted knee.

 

[socallefty]

Maybe, but I meant that the Barricades V were clunky, while some of the more recent versions not as much and yet caused me PF, on clay, new.
It's true though that I already had a twisted knee.

Can also be the sizing on new models as plantar pain can result from too snug a size. With some shoes, I can buy one size smaller and wear thinner socks. With other models, I have to buy a half size larger and wear thick Thorlo socks to get the right fit. That is the hassle with trying out new shoe models.

 

[tjanev]

try a new insole with good heel cushioning. maybe gel? top of my achilles was hurting after each session with my new barricades. changed the insole to dr scholls gel athletic insoles and achilles is much better now.